


Coffee Cup

by LluminateCrystal



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Felinette (implied), Gen, Not the heroes just the civilians, One Shot Collection, Slow Burn, Some Plot, With Quantic Kids because I’m a sucker for them, heroes don’t exist in britain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:22:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24995323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LluminateCrystal/pseuds/LluminateCrystal
Summary: Felix ends up meeting someone at an outdoor café that reminds him a lot of a certain girl in a video...AKA a chaotic evil and true neutral meet and that’s the story.This is literally just going to have a bunch of one shots with some character development, mild wackiness and some fluff with an unoriginal idea that I’m using. Yee.
Relationships: Bridgette/Félix Graham de Vanily, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Félix Graham de Vanily
Comments: 7
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Listen: THEIR SHIP NAME IS COFFEE CUP. I don’t care what your version of Bri is in the 3D universe. If you ship Graham Cracker (FGDV) with the PV Bri but only the 3D universe (that’ll give you a headache) their name is Coffee Cup. I know that’s the name of the work. Do I care? No. I’m calling them Coffee Cup because of the way I have them meet in the story, but literally just think about it: they don’t go on dates or save the world or ruin people’s reputation (that’s a hobby), they just sit down and chat over a cup of coffee. That’s the entire ship! Their name is coffee cup and I don’t know who is going to see this, but it is a thing now. Felix Agreste and Bridgette Cheng is something entirely different (they have like...50 different ship names). This is Graham Cracker x 3D!Bridgette. Their name is Coffee Cup. LET’S MAKE THIS A THING! Also, hi. I haven’t really watched MLB since S1. I only skipped to S3 for that “quality” Felix content. I should watch Animaestro so I can see those easter eggs, BUT THE THINGS I’VE HEARD MADE ME NOT WANT TO. Anyway, enjoy this fluff/slight crapstory.

Felix sat at his usual table at the café: right in front of the truck, on the right—when facing the vehicle—slightly close to a flower fence, but on adjacent. While an outdoor café wasn’t ideal for him—or people of his status—he somehow found himself returning there, ordering the same cup of coffee, staying for as long as he wished until he felt like doing something else or going home. There was just something so...comforting about the place. Which was perfect, since he only drank coffee when he needed to think.

And he’s been doing a lot of that recently.

He lifted his cup, pressed it against his lips, and drank. The bitterness warmed his throat as he drank the coffee. Paris was crossing his mind. A very short trip, but it was fun while it lasted. It was fun to toy with everyone, even if it did earn him hate in the end. But he got what he came for. He’d liked to wonder the look on his Uncle’s face when he finally realized. _If_ he ever realized. He didn’t seem that smart for someone his age.

But what really got him thinking were those videos. Especially the last one. Somehow, amidst everything, Adrien had friends. It was just something that didn’t make sense to him. As far as he’s aware, Gabriel was the enemy. His mother talked about it all the time. Gabriel Agreste was the enemy. And yet somehow, Adrien, the enemy’s son, had something he didn’t. And they cared about him. He took another sip of his coffee. It was almost gone. He might need another cup.

His mind returned to Paris. Gabriel. Adrien. The videos. That last video. The video of a girl no older than him confessing. The message was short, but he remembers it clearly. _Adrien, I love you. I’ll always be here if you need me._ She was serious, he could tell. The look in her eyes, the smile, the soft tone of her voice. He’s seen that look before. It’s the look his mother gives him every other moment. It’s the look his father—

He took another sip of coffee, but not a large one. He didn’t was to stand up just yet. And he didn’t want his mind to go there. _Not now_. He swallowed the coffee and recollected his thoughts. Paris. Gabriel. Adrien. Videos. The girl. Her _look_. She really did care for his cousin. And he called it pathetic. It was pathetic. Adrien loved a superhero. Not a middle schooler who seemed very sweet and probably very compatible for him. He remembered putting himself on Ladybug. Well, not necessarily _on_ , just uncomfortably close. It was all for the sake of giving Adrien a bad name, but he was silently glad she refused him. He’s not even sure how old she is and that puts him on edge. But he remembered what she said afterwards. _He would never be so pushy._ He doesn’t doubt that they’ve met in the past—they did live in the same city after all—however, based on her reaction, it was clear that she liked him back. It was amusing.

Adrien confirmed he wasn’t seeing anyone at the moment, whether or not that was to cover his crush on the bug is up for debate, but since they both are big faces of Paris, he doesn’t doubt that they’ll end up a couple soon if her and Chat Noir are just friends. That, or she’ll end up with Chloe, which is less likely in his opinion, but the thought is a little amusing to him. Adrien and Ladybug will end up like Spider-Man and MJ Watson, being the hottest celebrity couple in history. That will also put the two on multiple hit lists for a variety of different reasons, but it didn’t matter, because they would be the top couple of the century. Unless Ladybug turns out to be a full grown adult, which he would get a kick out of.

But all in all, that girl’s crush on Adrien was pathetic. She probably doesn’t even know. Adrien has everything and somehow he is blind to see—what Felix assumes—is two feet in front of him. That look of admiration, care, _love_. He’s seen it before and it was right there on that girl’s face. Adrien has been going to school for a year. He doesn’t doubt that she wore that expression before. And yet he wishes to be with a superhero. Although, in Adrien’s favor, that woman can punch, but that girl held her expectations way too high. If he chooses Ladybug, he doubt he’ll ever get that look of admiration again. It was just pathetic.

And he was glad he deleted the video. He saved her from embarrassment. The rejection. That _pain_. She didn’t look like someone who deserved to go through that. Emotional pain is not fun. It might just be the worst type of pain anyone can go through. He saved her from that. At least, he think he did. He did one final sip of coffee. He wondered about that girl, where she was, what she was doing. Probably something small, like going on a walk, or watching a movie. He hoped she was happy right now. 

And then another thought crossed his mind: what if Adrien liked her instead? In fact, what if he ended up meeting her? What if he met her as Adrien? Would he do the same approach he did with Ladybug? Probably not, he concluded, but he wasn’t sure. It didn’t happen, and he didn’t think it ever would. Gabriel isn’t going to allow them to visit so easily now.

He put his cup down and sighed. Empty. He wasn’t in the mood for standing up, but he still had a lot going on in his head. He needed more coffee.

He turned his head in the direction of the food/coffee truck before standing up and his eyes widened. _It couldn’t be, could it?_

There, at the window of the truck, was a fair-skinned bluenette in in long messy pigtails. She was wearing a jean jacket over a sundress and grey ankle boots. He couldn’t see her face clearly, but she had a striking resemblance to that girl in the video. But there’s no way it was actually her..right? After all, the girl’s hair was shorter in the video, and more well kept. Although, it could just be a bad hair day...but that was besides the point. That video was filmed and sent in Paris. There’s no way anyone in London knew a Parisian model personally, let alone the disappearance of said model’s mother. _It’s not her..._ he thought at first.

But then his mind started filtering for the possibility. She could just be on vacation, but she might also live here. Yeah, that video was sent in Paris, but it was part of a string of videos, not a very long one. That girl spoke French—and very clearly too—but they teach French in schools. She could be learning or grew up bilingual. France wasn’t terribly far from the UK. Adrien hasn’t left France recently...but maybe they met through their parents? It would be logical. Her hair might’ve not been grown, she’s just wearing extensions.Or maybe he was just making an excuse to assume it was her, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. That girl was most likely getting a to-go cup at his regular café right now. 

The girl got her cup and turned back around, but not towards him. He still didn’t see her face, but all that was crossing his mind that she was leaving. He doesn’t know if he’ll see her again. Vacation or not, this could be her last time coming here. He just wanted to see her again, even if she hated him. He stopped thinking and stood up quickly, both hands planted on the table’s face. “What are you doing here?” he asked, a little loud, and a little bit more aggressive than he wished, in English. He wondered if it would’ve been better to ask in French, but the girl stopped anyway. It caused everyone in the area to look at him, but it didn’t matter. The girl turned around and looked at him confused. She looked a little bit different than he remembered, but he just assumed it was the hair.

After a few seconds, she responded, “Are you talking to me?” Felix nodded. She gave a small smile as she raised an eyebrow. “I’m getting a coffee.” She sounded a bit amused. Did she not recognize him? It was probably the hair.

”No, I mean in London.” he corrected. The people started to get back to their business and Felix started to approach her, slowly.

”I live here?” she answered. Despite her confusion, she was still clearly amused. Felix didn’t know by what though.

”Weren’t you in Paris a few weeks ago?” Felix asked. So she did live here, but how did she know Adrien?

”Paris? No...I haven’t left the city in a while...” She looked and sounded more cautious. Fair enough. She was being questioned randomly at a café.

”Didn’t you make a feel-better video?” Felix asked again. He was closer than before, so maybe she’d recognize him now?

”Uh...what?” She didn’t seem to know what he was talking about now. Did she already forget?

”A feel-better video...” He sighed. This wasn’t getting him anywhere. “For Adrien.”

”Adrien?” Felix nodded. “Sorry, I don’t know any Adriens. I hope she’s doing better though. For whatever she had going on.” Felix froze. This girl just misgendered Adrien. Was this really not the girl he saw in that video? He shook his head.

”I’m sorry, were you not in Paris the other day?” The girl shook her head in response.

”No. I’ve never went to France once in my life.” Realization hit Felix like a storm. She really wasn’t the girl he saw in the video. And now that they were a little bit closer, he noticed they looked a little different too. This girl’s eyes were still large and bright, but they were thinner and a darker shade of blue. Her chin was also sharper than the girl in the video. He guessed he was just so desperate to see that girl again that even a random stranger would suffice.

”I’m sorry...I guess I thought you were someone else.” He looked away from her, trying to hide his embarrassment. A familiar emotion washed over him and a small lump grew in his throat. _Now’s not the time for this_ , he thought. He mentally scolded himself and started to turn away.

”No. It’s fine.” The girl said as he turned. Felix was ready to forget the stranger and move on, but she spoke up again. “Hey, do you come here often?”

Felix stopped in his tracks and flipped his head around. “Excuse me?”

”Do you come here often.” she repeated. “I just...I mean, I’ve never seen you before...” She looked as if she was embarrassed to ask.

He turned his entire body towards her while answering, ”I’m a regular here, yes. Not that I’m on a schedule.” Felix didn’t know why he answered. Not seeing him before wasn’t a valid enough reason, but he figured it was fair enough. He did stop her because he thought she was someone else.

”Oh, that makes sense.” What. “See, I only come here on Wednesdays before heading to work, so either I missed you or you weren’t here when I was.” She smiled a little. Felix thought about it for a little bit. Did he come that often on Wednesdays? He wasn’t sure. “I guess I should come here more often.”

”What?” Felix raised an eyebrow at her. Did he hear that correctly? She looked just as surprised and her face turned a little pink. He guessed yes.

”Oh! Nothing!” she said quickly, waving her free hand around. She looked away and cleared her throat before looking back at him. “Hey, I have to go, but maybe I’ll see you again. What’s your name?”

Felix relaxed a little and fixed his posture. He was still curious about what she said, but he knew how people get when they are late. “It’s Felix Gr—“

”Okay. Felix. I can remember that.” the girl interrupted. Felix’s eyes widened in shock. He always introduced himself by his first and last name. He knew she had to leave, but it was still a little rude. “I’m Bridgette. Nice to meet you.” Ah. She was on an exclusive first name basis.

Bridgette held out her free hand. Felix stared at it for a second. There was nothing on it for him to take. Just a hand. He looked back up at her. She was just waiting for him to take it. It was all she had to offer. He figured that was enough. He held her hand and shook it. It was really warm. Bridgette smiled at him as they did it. Felix found himself smiling back. 

They let go and Bridgette started to turn around. “I’ll see you around, Felix.” Then she left. Felix’s smile faded as she did. She just lied.

He’s seen it before. She was only acting nice because she pitied him. People who stay for only a little bit then leave when the problem was solved. Not to mention the café was one of the only reasons he was out for himself. Besides, she only came to the café on Wednesdays for a brief period of time. She wouldn’t be “seeing him around”. There were a lot of people in London. He doubted that they’d ever see each other again. 

So why was a part of him still hoping?

He sighed and went back to his table. He still wanted that second cup of coffee.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, really quick before I talk about this chapter, I really like Chapter 1. I feel as though it’s good enough to stay as a one-shot and the rest is history. I’m going to continue the story because that was my initial plan, but if you guys want to leave the first chapter on its own, I’m okay with that. Anyway, I figured out the some plot part of this story. Yay me! But really quick, the direction I initially planned for this story has changed since I first uploaded this. So the tags may or may not change. Plot will not take a big part until later, so I guess instead of some plot, it’s plotless with plot. Yeah...enjoy.

It was Friday morning now. He ended up being busy yesterday, as his mother was being seriously stressed out over a new picture Graham Films was working on. Not that he minded. He liked helping his mother out in any way he could, and it was a little bit funny to see the assistants act even more stressed than his mother. Just a small thing he liked about the family business. He smiled a little, remembering the events of yesterday, but it only faded as a new memory came to mind.

Adrien had attempted to call him yesterday. Because he was busy comforting his mother, he missed the call and it was a little late before he realized that Adrien tried to contact him. Considering a few recent events, this was to be expected. He just didn’t understand the reason behind it.

Adrien left a voicemail for the missed call and it confused Felix immensely. _Hey, Felix. It’s Adrien. I’m not really doing anything at the moment, so I’d thought I’d call and see how you’re doing. If you’re busy, that makes sense, I understand. But hey, if you just want to call and talk, I’m here. Later!_ It was the most confusing thing he’s ever heard. Was there a motive behind it? Did something happen? He said he wasn’t doing anything at the moment, so probably not. However, it was still strange.

Gabriel Agreste was a strict man, and has given Adrien a very strict schedule to follow. He has many people he considers friends, has a nice room filled with entertaining distractions and a mutual crush on a—possibly adult—superhero. Felix could think of multiple things he could do with those people and entertainment on Adrien’s free time. And yet he decided to call Felix. Why?

Felix wasn’t exactly sure he wanted to know. For once, he didn’t want to just jump right in and play along. It confused him. There had to be a reason behind it. Nobody has ever called anyone without a reason. Was it a code he didn’t understand? Is he playing a game? Maybe he’s planning something? Whatever it was, Felix hasn’t called him back. He didn’t know if he wanted to.

”Excuse me,” said a somewhat familiar voice, pulling Felix out of his thoughts. He didn’t bother looking up, he knew what this person was here for. There’s always someone who brings one too many people and they have to ask for an extra chair; and he almost always got asked. “Is this seat taken?”

”Go ahead.” Felix said, waiting for it all to be done so he could go back to thinking alone. The person pulled out the chair...

...and sat down. Felix’s eyes widened. This was unorthodox. He wasn’t expecting anybody. You can’t just sit with random people, this was a café, not an Asian grill. Just what kind of nonsensical person would—

Felix looked up and had to force himself not to drop his jaw. It was Bridgette. He wasn’t expecting to see her again, let alone so soon. He knew she said she’d be “seeing him around”, but he didn’t think she actually meant it. Maybe she still pitied him.

”I thought you only came here on Wednesdays.” Felix said with a poker face, trying to play it off.

”I’d thought I’d get some coffee this morning.” Bridgette said, smiling. “And, to be honest, I wanted to see you again.” Well, that was the obvious part.

”You did?” Felix raised an eyebrow, trying to sound oblivious. Bridgette giggled, blushing a little.

”Yeah, knowing you’re a regular here, I’d thought I’d come here more. You weren’t here yesterday, not at noon at least, so I came back today and you’re here!”

Felix swallowed hard. She seriously wanted to see him again. Did she pity him that much? He cleared his throat. “Don’t you have work?”

”Only on Wednesdays and weekends. They’re a bit easy on me since it’s Summer and I’m not 15 yet.” Bridgette looked down for a second, then back up at him. What was that about?

”So you were looking for me all afternoon?” He took another sip of coffee and Bridgette started to drink her own.

”That’s ridiculous. I got a coffee and sat with my friends for a bit.” Felix cringed a little bit. This should have expected from someone his age and acting this happy, but it was still a bother to hear that word. Bridgette didn’t seem to notice though. She seemed more like she just realized something. “Hey Felix, if you ever need to hang out with someone, I have a few friends who come here often.” There it was again. She pointed to the table across from them. “They always sit over there. They usually come here on Mondays, but like to pop in throughout the week. They’re kind of an iconic trio, you can’t miss them.” Currently sitting at the table was a couple, a few years older than them. Clearly not who she was referring to. “Their names are Claude, Allan and Allegra. You might not remember that, but if you see them, just say you know me and I’m sure you’ll get along fine.”

Felix nodded. He disagreed, but he’d rather not tell her that. It’s why he didn’t ask for a visual reference of the trio she referred to. He’d rather not waste his time with people like that. Bridgette can think what she wants, but he’s definitely not planning on meeting her friends anytime soon. 

Meaning he’s going to stop coming on Mondays.

”So what do you even do here?” Bridgette asked. Felix gave her a questioning look and Bridgette flushed. “I mean, drinking coffee is obvious, but I mean, what do you do here alone...I guess? Both times I’ve seen you, you’re alone.” The red started to fade from her cheeks and her face shifted into sadness. She looked off to the side and sighed. Is she okay?

When she didn’t say anything else, Felix finally responded. “I just come here and think. I have as many cups as I feel and go home.” Felix paused for a moment. “Well, sometimes I come here just for the coffee. Can’t stop and think all the time.” He didn’t know why he told her that, but it didn’t seem to matter, because she eyed him as if he answered incorrectly.

”That’s it?” she asked. Felix nodded, though he didn’t exactly know what she wanted him to say. “So you just sulk here for however long, and leave?”

”I wouldn’t say ‘sulk’...” Felix frowned. Bridgette faced him again.

”What’s the most amount of cups you had in a day?” she smirked.

”Seven.” he answered, finding himself smirking back. 

”Well crap. I have more than three and I go bananas.” She was taken aback, but ended up laughing. Felix chuckled a little as well. 

”It takes perseverance. And you can always get a different type of cup if you want more.“ 

“Where’s the fun in that?” She wore that amused look she had when they first met again. Felix decided to brush it off, even if he really wanted to know why she smiled that way.

”Well, it can be fun to see how well you can handle large amounts of caffeine.” He looked to the side, fearing slight embarrassment, but he could feel that smile practically beaming at him.

”What do you even get? There’s no way it’s not decaf. I don’t know what else you would get.” She drank her coffee as she waited for a response.

Felix looked back at her a smirked. She raised an eyebrow, not sure for what was about to come. “Black.”

Bridgette’s face fell in shock, hand covering her mouth for a second. She most likely still had coffee in her mouth, because she did a bit of a dramatic swallow after that. “You psychopath...”

”Maybe I am.” He took a sip of coffee for extra measure. Bridgette furrowed her brow.

“Stop it.” Felix drank again. Her face shifted into a mix of anger and concern. “Seriously, stop it.” Felix started to down the coffee, throwing Bridgette off. “Felix!”

Felix watched as she went from shocked, to angry, to concerned and back to angry again. It was funny to him, so he kept going, watching as Bridgette struggled to figure out what to do. The coffee was still warm and as it was black, it was very bitter, but he didn’t care at that point. He wanted to see how this semi-stranger would react, and he was having a ball. He wondered how long he could keep this up—

Felix tried to sip for more coffee, but all he got was air. Crap. He was out. This isn’t what he wanted. He still had to think. Coffee helped him think. But he got so caught up in the moment, he wouldn’t have to get another cup. He hated it when he had to get another cup. Feeling defeated, he put the cup down with a sigh. Bridgette also sighed, but for a different reason.

”Thank you...” she said, clearly more relieved than anything. Felix shot her a glare, getting a confused look in response. Her eyes widened as if she realized something. “Are you out?”

”I don’t think I would’ve stopped if I wasn’t.” He sighed again and closed his eyes. 

”Are you _trying_ to kill your insides?”

”Actually, I’m trying to think. Now I’m out of coffee.” Bridgette cocked her head, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry. But..." Felix looked up at her again. "What's the problem?"

Felix was about to answer when Bridgette gasped again, putting a hand over her mouth. She looked petrified. "I'm sorry! Forget it. I shouldn't have assumed..." It was Felix's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Assume what?" Bridgette waved her hands around and shook her head a little.

"No! Don't worry about it! It's nothing!" She grabbed her cup and started drinking, looking away from Felix. He narrowed his eyes.

"Tell me." Bridgette kept drinking, refusing to look at him. He was about to repeat himself, when she finally swallowed and put the cup down, although she didn't look at him.

"I just..." She sunk her head a little. "The way you dress made me think you, um...we're rich..." She mumbled the last part, but he heard her clearly.

"I am." Bridgette perked up and looked at him.

"You are?"

"I am."

"Oh." Bridgette's eyes turned to the side. He could feel a sense of awkwardness coming from her, but he wasn't sure why. After a short moment, she looked back at him. "So what's the problem? With the, uh... coffee."

Felix closed his eyes. "I hate getting a second cup. Interrupts the train of thought, and I'm comfortable sitting here almost every time that happens."

"You said you've drank up to seven cups in a day."

"That didn't happen here." When Bridgette didn't respond, he opened his eyes to find her looking at her own cup, as if she were contemplating something. He was about to stand up when Bridgette suddenly downed her own coffee. It took him by surprise, considering how she reacted to him. She didn't seem to enjoy it like he did though, as her face was scrunching up, most likely due to the taste. When she finished, she almost slammed the cup back on the table and coughed a little, breathing heavily. She clearly wasn't used to doing that.

"When I need to think," she started before coughing again, "I go on a walk. Why don't we do that?"

 _We_? "That's not a bad idea... but-"

"Great. I'll buy you another cup." Bridgette stood up as she said so with a smile, interrupting him before he could question the "we" of her offer.

"Wait, you don't need to do that!" He stood up as she started walking to the truck. She turned her head to him slightly, but didn't stop.

"I insist. I feel bad about the empty cup. Even if it was kind of your fault." Felix was ready to argue, but she was reaching into her purse, and ordering the drink.

"Bridgette, I'm serious."

"So am I." The cashier named the price and Bridgette handed him the money. Bridgette turned to Felix with the amused look again as Felix realized he was too late. Bridgette bought him a cup of coffee, and the two of them were going on a walk _together_ , whether he liked it or not. He looked away from her, not wanting to express his defeat. He swore he could feel her gloating.

They waited in silence, and eventually the cashier returned to the front window with two cups in hand. At first, Felix thought she was being unnecessarily generous, but then the cashier spoke. "So this is the mocha," he lifted his right arm, "and this is the black." He lowered the mocha and lifted the other cup. He guessed she also liked the coffee a lot to get another. Bridgette took both and offered the black cup to Felix. Felix looked at her, then at the cup, then back at her again. It reminded him of their first meeting, except this time, there was more she had to offer. He wasn't sure if he wanted to take it. He didn't really have time to think about it as Bridgette shook her hand a little, in which prompted Felix to finally do so. "Have a nice day you two." Oh, right. The cashier was still there.

"Thank you!" Bridgette said with a smile before turning around and walking off. She gestured for him to follow and he did, reluctantly so. When they were out of the fenced area, she spoke up again, "You're being very petty right now."

"Petty?" Felix repeated.

"Yeah, petty. And over a cup of coffee too." Felix widened his step to be at her side as she turned her head across the street. "You know, I get not wanting to get a second cup, but there's no reason to be so grumpy about it." She turned her head back towards him. "And I know you're rich, but I literally just went out of my way to buy you a cup. A thank you would be nice." She grumbled the last part under her breath, but Felix was close enough to hear. Before he could say anything, Bridgette continued, "It's literally the exact same cup as your usual, but for travel. It's like you didn't want to take it because I bought it." Felix didn't know how to respond; while her words weren't entirely true, they were hitting close to home. He opted for drinking the coffee instead, despite everything that just occurred.

He looked away from her, brought the cup to his face, put the lid to his lips and...

 _CHRIST!_ Felix hissed at what felt like a scorching from the cup and pulled it away from his face immediately, almost dropping it. Whatever Bridgette was feeling was dropped immediately at the sight of him being in pain. "Are you okay?!" 

"Why is it so hot?! Did you ask the server to set the bloody cup on fire?!" Felix exclaimed. _This was a mistake_. Obviously, Bridgette was trying to get revenge on his "pettiness". She wanted to see him burn. Felix eyed her to confirm, but she was only raising an eyebrow a him.

"It's only hot because the lid is on. It won't cool down as fast." She crossed her arms. "Not that coffee would be cooled down that fast anyway."

 _What's your game?_ Felix thought. Bridgette's eyes widened as if there was a spider on his head.

"Excuse me?" It was Felix's turn to raise an eyebrow. It took him a second to realize that what he thought he was thinking was said out loud. He didn't mean for her to hear that, and Felix mentally scolded himself for speaking. He hesitated in elaborating, before going through with it anyway. It was his mistake; time to own up to it.

"What's your game." Bridgette didn't seem to pick up what he was putting down, so he continued. "You voluntarily go out of your way to visit me, get me a coffee even though I refused, and then pull me away from my regular seating. You're planning something, aren't you?" Bridgette blinked a few times before closing her eyes and sighing.

"You get manipulated a lot, don't you?" Felix narrowed his eyes.

"Don't dodge the question and answer me." 

"Felix, I'm here because I wanted to see you. Nothing more than that." She was acting calm. Too calm.

"I don't believe that."

"You're not used to this, are you?" Felix chuckled at this. That's where she was wrong. 

"Au contraire, I'm very used to this. I know exactly what you're doing, and I'm not falling for it." Bridgette finally opened her eyes and furrowed her brow.

"And what exactly am I doing?" Felix swallowed, and if it weren't for its temperature, he'd be swallowing coffee instead. Something was telling him it was a trap, but he dared to answer anyway.

"You realized I was rich, so you're treating me with kindness for your own personal gain." He glared at her as she blinked again before her face shifted into her amused look once again. He didn't know if he liked that look.

"Au contraire, you stepped with the wrong foot." She paused to think before continuing, "My _game_ has nothing to do with your inheritance."

"And the coffee?" 

"Just a gift. Or an apology. Honestly, I just wanted to get you a coffee."

"So a bribe?"

"Wow, you really aren't used to this, are you?" Felix looked away from her. He just embarrassed himself again! And Bridgette was laughing. Her goal was to humiliate him, that was for sure. That is what he thought until her laughter died down and he felt a pat on his shoulder. Felix flipped around to see her looking... sympathetic? He expected something malicious, or at least that amused look of hers that he was slowly learning to hate, but sympathy was probably the last thing he was expecting. "Look, I'm sorry about my little vent, okay? And for laughing. I just want you to drink you're normal cup and... walk with me. That's all." Bridgette looked down. "But if you want to leave, that's fine too."

Felix was silent. Where is all of this coming from? Normally when he acts in his own way, the people respond with disgust. The only one he knew that appreciated him for himself was his mother. The way Bridgette was acting reminded him of that. This wasn't at all what he was used to. It was the most baffling thing, but it was so intriguing that he couldn't think to leave. So he shook his head and said, "I'm okay with walking."

Bridgette looked back up and beamed, turning forward once again. "That's great! We can walk together and you can do your thinking! I'll be quiet this time, promise." She held her cup in both hands and gestured with her head for them to keep walking. Felix obliged and as Bridgette promised, she was silent, which Felix slightly appreciated. It's clear she got the memo that he didn't like to get interrupted when his train of thought ran.

Felix waited a little bit before drinking from the cup again so that he wouldn't burn himself. Bridgette seemed more focused on the walk than anything, but was also trying to keep Felix's pace. The streets of London seemed emptier than what he remembers them normally being. He just assumed that it looked different from a pedestrian's perspective. As they walked, he was recalling Bridgette's behavior towards him. Any anger she had was gone in an instant. He wondered if she even pitied him at all at this point. Any normal person would've left by now, so why did she stay? He decided that he would ponder on that later, as he had something else to think about. Cautiously, he brought the cup up to his lips and drank. It was still hot, but it didn't feel like his tongue was on fire this time. Then it came back to him: _Adrien_.

The first time he's contacted him by phone in years, and what for? Nothing. Nothing important, nothing urgent, nothing heartbreaking. Just a simple checkup because he wasn't "really doing anything at the moment". And that nothing was one thing Felix didn't understand. When Felix isn't "really doing anything at the moment", he'd read or drink coffee. Not randomly call his cousin for nothing. Adrien apparently likes to call people for nothing. With him being the son of the enemy, it was easy for Felix to interpret it as a trap. But the message was so simple that he just couldn't understand. There had to be something behind it... but what?

Felix took another sip of coffee before remembering he wasn't alone. He looked towards his company and swallowed hard when a memory of the girl in the video re-entered his mind. He drank slightly faster. _It's not her. She's not here_ , he told himself. He took the cup away from his lips with a small gasp, causing Bridgette to look back at him. He gave a small smile and she traded her focus back to across the street. She was looking at the Thames. Felix looked towards the Thames and could understand why. He was usually out on the streets at night in the back of a car, so it wasn't very eye-catching, but in the midday, it was beautiful. Slightly hard to see with the buildings they passed, but when they got that short window, it was stunning. He smiled at the view, then took another sip of coffee. He was going to need to interrupt this small... moment? Maybe. Whatever this was, he needed to interrupt it. He doesn't usually look for this, especially with someone he barely knew, but his options were limited right now. He needed a second opinion. 

"Excuse me, Bridgette-"

"We're close..." Bridgette whispered. Felix paused before speaking up again.

"What?" Bridgette cleared her throat and drank her own coffee. She was embarrassed. Payback.

"Nothing." Really? "Did, uh... did you need something?" she asked before drinking her coffee again. Right...

"I need an opinion." Bridgette stopped walking and Felix stopped with her. She looked at him, wide eyed.

"An opinion?" Felix only tilted his head. "On what?"

Felix opened his mouth to speak, only to close it again. He looked around. There was nowhere to sit. "I'm sorry, I don't think the middle of the street is the best place-"

"Say no more. Follow me." Without missing a beat, Bridgette started to walk again and Felix followed. They ended up crossing the street to get closer to the Thames before walking in the same direction again. After a little bit, Bridgette approached stairs next to the sidewalk and started to walk down. At this point, Felix would've rather they spoke in the street instead, but he followed her all the way to the bottom where a single bench lay next to the crashing waves of the river. "Bench."

"I can see that." He looked around. There wasn't another bench in sight. "Pretty specific location. You sure there was nothing closer?"

"I feel like this was the most private. Unless a boat comes by. Then it'll be anything but." She sat down and patted the space next to her. "It won't bite."

"I wasn't expecting it to." Felix said before sitting down next to her. "How did you find this place?"

"Just went on a stroll one day and was wondering where the stairs led to. Now I come here whenever I need to be alone." Wait a minute...

"Seems kind of like a personal place." 

"No, it's very public actually. I can't tell you how many times I've arrived with people already on the bench. It's such a waste of a walk." Bridgette turned to her purse and reached inside.

"I just don't understand why you brought me _here_." 

"Because," Bridgette paused before presenting him with a strangely shaped pastry wrapped in a napkin, a second one in her other hand, "I want you here. And you asked for my opinion." Felix's eyes widened. Her expressions of sorrow when she thought he might leave, her comments, the coffee, an area where no one should bother them, and looking down _at her purse_ to think about this presentation of a pastry? This was almost a set up for... no it couldn't be. They don't know each other that well.

"What is this?" he ended up thinking aloud. Bridgette only smiled. Felix only felt confused and sick. The _audacity_.

"It's a cruller. I made them last night. I also made a larger batch the night before, but you never got that one, so I made more last night. Things are better when they're fresher." Felix swallowed and stood up, shaking his head.

"No, _THIS_! The solitude, the generosity, the... the... the cloy!" Bridgette only raised an eyebrow and Felix remembered what he said to her earlier. "You said you didn't have a game."

"No, I said my game had nothing to do with your inheritance." Felix put his hand to his forehead. Because he was remembering that was exactly what she said. "But it kind of makes me happy that you couldn't see through me. Especially since you seem used to manipulation tactics. I was told that my poker face wasn't that good." Felix grabbed his coffee and started to chug it down. "Felix, please! I'm sorry!" He didn't stop. He was ready to forget her and leave. This was planned from the beginning. She dodged everything he threw at her to get her to reveal her intentions and got into his head. He really believed for a period of time that someone wasn't playing a game and he fell for a trap. How could he be such an idiot? It was the second time this girl fooled him, but not anymore-

He was grabbed by the wrist and was forced to pull the cup away from his face. Bridgette looked intently at him, worry painted on her face. Felix furrowed his brow. "Look, I really am sorry, okay? But I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to be with you!" Bridgette said, pausing after realizing how it sounded, her eyes widening. "But as friends!" Felix looked away. "I just wanted us to hang out! Nothing more. Nothing more.." 

"Let me go." Felix said, low and quiet. Bridgette only squeezed his wrist tighter.

"Felix, please stay." she whispered. Was that... hurt? Felix squeezed his eyes shut. He needed the coffee.

"Bridgette," he started, trying to ignore her tone, "let me go." Bridgette related his wrist and he sighed before taking another sip of coffee. She didn't say anything this time. _Great, just great_. He's probably putting someone through the thing he hates the most. He didn't want that and didn't want this silence. He couldn't understand what one was thinking with silence. He just wanted to push past this awkward state and move on. "I still need that opinion."

"O-oh.. right." Bridgette hesitantly sat back down on the bench and Felix sat back next to her. There was a small silence again before Bridgette spoke up, "So what is it?"

"I got a phone call yesterday." Bridgette only nodded, so Felix continued. "It was from my cousin. He hasn't contacted me by phone in years, but I visited him recently, so it wasn't terribly off putting. It was the message that threw me off." He drank his coffee, so Bridgette decided to speak up.

"What was the message?" Felix finished drinking and looked at her. She wasn't expressing anything, and just looked like she was willing to listen. He felt a small amount of appreciation from that.

"He said he wanted to 'see how I was doing' because he wasn't 'really doing anything at the moment'. A clear set up for a trap, I know, yet I can't figure out what he was trying to accomplish. I'd like to know what you think." Bridgette's eyes widened. A small wave of relief washed over him. If he put her through it, it clearly didn't bother her now.

"Oh my god I am so sorry." Felix raised an eyebrow.

"For what?" 

"That you were raised that way."

"What?"

"You have trust issues. Really bad trust issues." She handed him the cruller again, and he ended up taking it while she bit into her own. "I don't know how you're rich, but clearly the people in your life weren't fair to you. You've been manipulated too much and now you don't trust that many people, am I right?" Felix bit into the cruller-which was a really good pastry-because she was surprisingly very accurate.

"How did you know?" he asked, taking another bite.

"Educated guess. I watch a lot of movies. Or it's intuition. But I'm really just guessing right now and wow, I am so sorry." Felix shook his head and Bridgette continued. "Those people must stink. But let's look at the facts here. Your cousin probably realized after you visited that you haven't been talking all that much, so he decided to contact you to see how you were. He's just thinking about you."

"Thinking about taking me down." Felix took another bite. "This is really good." 

"Thanks. Don't change the subject. Why would he want to take you down? You're family." Felix didn't answer. The story of his family's rings and his effort to retrieve them is a story he doesn't think Bridgette was ready to hear. "Christ, this is worse than I thought." Felix lowered the cruller and started drinking his coffee instead. "Okay, so you think it was a trap. But what if he just really wanted to talk to you?" 

"Doubtful." Felix took another bite of the cruller before drinking the coffee again.

"Is it that bad?" 

"No, he just called for nothing." Bridgette raised an eyebrow. "Out of all the reasons he could call me for, he called for the most pointless one. There are plenty of better things I know he could be doing. He wouldn't have called me unless it was important." Bridgette paused and crossed her arms.

"I can see what you mean, but I think you're wrong." It was Felix's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Yeah, you're family, so it would make sense if he called for an important reason, but I think he called out of boredom or something. He just called because he felt like it."

"That doesn't make sense."

"It does actually. I do it all the time. People will sometimes call each other for no reason other than to talk. I do it all the time."

"Then you're weird."

"Please. Like you never called your friends because you wanted to." Felix looked away from her and drank his coffee. "What's wrong?"

Felix hesitated. Should he? He wasn't sure. He wasn't sure that she would care. She seemed to care now, but she could just end up laughing again and he would be fooled for a third time. He felt a tap on his shoulder and he sighed. Might as well.

"I don't really have friends. I pretty much repel everyone I meet. So I never had anyone to call. Ridiculous, right?" Bridgette was silent. This might've been worse. And he was facing away from her, so he couldn't tell in the slightest what she was thinking. The waves of the Thames crashed against the floor rhythmically and he considered jumping in the river and pretend he never met her.

"Felix, you just lied to me." Bridgette said, her tone serious. Felix chuckled.

"No, I don't believe I did."

"No you did," she tapped on his shoulder again and Felix turned his head to meet with a smile coming from Bridgette's face, "because we're friends, aren't we?" Felix eyes grew wide. She... she thought of them as friends? After the mess that was this morning, they were friends? Felix couldn't believe it. "But if we're not," she started again and Felix narrowed his eyes, "would you like to be?" 

Felix couldn't think. This was new. He couldn't remember the last time anyone has offered him friendship. Has anyone offered him friendship? Did Chloe offer her friendship? It wouldn't make sense... his hate was mutual. It was too much for him to understand; he was going stiff. "W-why..?" he managed to say. It was all he could say. He couldn't tell if he was even in reality anymore.

Bridgette turned towards the river, closing her eyes. Felix could've sworn her face was turning pink. "I'm not sure. You seem cool I guess. I mean, you're pretty weird, but I know a lot of weird people, so it's nothing I'm not used to." Felix practically fought to drink the coffee again. Yeah, this was definitely real.

"How am I weird?" he asked after drinking the cup, finishing up the cruller just to make sure it was real too. It was. Bridgette gave him that amusing look once more, the one he was learning to hate. He wasn't sure if he was going to like what was coming.

"You're a rich pretty boy who likes to drink coffee from a public café-truck restaurant to sulk. You don't meet person like that everyday." 

"You want to be friends because I'm... rare?" Bridgette's smile dropped and Felix smiled at her surprise.

"No! That's not..ugh!" She waved her hands around before putting one to her lips to think. "Okay, how do I put it?" She looked down for a moment before looking back up at him and putting her hand down. "Would _just_ _because_ be a good enough reason for you?" 

"I do things _just_ _because_ all the time." Bridgette smiled.

"Good. Because it's a good enough reason for me." She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. "Let's trade numbers."

Felix nodded and pulled out his own phone. He opened the contact list and was about to ask Bridgette for her information, when he felt his phone being pulled out of his hands. He looked towards the thief, who was only offering her phone instead. "What are you doing?"

"We're trading numbers. Sorry, too aggressive?" Felix blinked. This is how people trade numbers? He usually asks for the information and calls it a day. This was new, especially with the level of trust that was being put on him. With her phone in his hand, nothing could stop him from searching through it and seeing any private information held in the device. But he was equally vulnerable; she had his device as well. She had the same amount of power with his phone as he did with hers. He could only assume that she was trusting him not to look through her phone and just put in his contact information. It would only be fair to do the same. So he shook his head and took her phone from her hands.

The screen displayed a New Contact page, empty. He had the power to give her the wrong number as well. He eyed Bridgette as she typed away on his phone. She didn't look like someone who would want to give him the wrong number, though he couldn't see past her earlier facade. But after going through the effort to see him the past 42 hours just to offer her friendship, trading the wrong number would be truly cruel. But Felix wasn't above that, and he couldn't be sure Bridgette was either. He would just have to decide for himself.

After putting in the number, he looked at the name. _Felix Graham de Vanily._ He deleted his surname after pondering for a little bit. She was only on a first name basis, so the surname most likely wouldn't be necessary. When he finished, he looked over to Bridgette, who seemed to be pondering over something herself. "Hey, I'm the only Bridgette you know, right?" She looked at him and he nodded, not sure how that was important. "Okay," she said, tapping the phone one more time before handing it back to him.

He looked at his phone when received and read the name over and over. _Bridgette_. There was something so nice about reading that name. A nine letter name, easy to say, easy to remember, can be spelled in many different ways, but she spelled it B-R-I-D-G-E-T-T-E. A very nice name to read.

His phone buzzed as a text message displayed on the screen. 

**Mom:** _I need your help. Can you come home?_

How unfortunate. Not that he didn't want to help his mother when required, but with the events that transpired, he felt the wish to stay in this place for just a little longer. But it couldn't be helped. What was done was done.

"My Mom wants me to come home. She needs help with something." Bridgette looked up from her phone to face him. 

"Is it bad?" Felix cocked his head slightly, then remembered she didn't know why his mother usually asks for help.

"Probably not. She most likely just needs some assistance with the family business." Felix stood up and Bridgette nodded.

"Oh, okay. Cool." Felix folded the napkin that once held a cruller and approached the stairs. "I'll see you later then!"

Felix stopped and looked back at Bridgette. She was still on the bench, her cup resting at her side, a half-eaten cruller in her hand, and she was smiling at him. "Are you not coming?"

"Nah, I'm going to stay for a little while. I have my own _sulking_ to do." Felix only stood there. He couldn't take her home, he knew that, but he didn't want to leave. I felt that if he did, he wouldn't see her again. That this small reality would be forgotten and rest as a dream. Like what happened on Wednesday...

"Well, goodbye." Felix turned back around and walked up the stairs, hearing a farewell from Bridgette in return. As he walked, he replied to his mother and drank what was left of his coffee. Everything that happened didn't make sense. 

Bridgette shouldn't be here. She should be with her other friends, or lost in thought walking or doing anything but "hanging out" with Felix. He played with her. He got angry with her. _She_ got angry with him! He even admitted that he believed that she was plotting something against him and in the end, he was partially right. And he trusted her like an idiot, got angry when he realized and was ready to cut all ties. But she was still here and offered her _friendship_ of all things. The reason? _Just Because_. _Just Because_ was the reason he was avoided. Bridgette stayed. And was practically cloy about it. No normal person acted this way around him.

And then it clicked as he reached the top of the stairs. _Bridgette is not a normal person._ She gave him gifts, tried to help him figure out a problem, offered her friendship, stayed when he got angry. No, she asked _him_ to stay. As if she could handle the anger. _As if_. No one could handle the anger. Either they leave or he'd be asked to leave. Simple as that. His mother stayed, reasonably so, but if Bridgette was thinking of upstaging his mother, that was a battle she was going to lose. But if that were the case, she would've offered to be his mother instead, right? He didn't know. He didn't know what he knew at this point. He thought she stayed because he pitied him and his misfortune. He saw someone he admired and was wrong, and she stayed to make sure she was okay. But no one, _ever_ , has offered their friendship like that in the end. He didn't understand.

As he threw away the cup and napkin before texting his driver, he remembered what she called him. _Weird_. Felix was _weird_ to her. And she said she was surrounded by weird, so in a sense... she saw weird as normal? No. No, that couldn't be. "Weird is normal" is an oxymoron. If anything, Bridgette was just weird herself. He understood that; claimed it himself. Felix was weird and Bridgette was too. A weird girl found a weird boy and offered her friendship. That was something he could believe.

As the car approached him, his phone buzzed. He got a text message. He smiled at what he read and pocketed his phone. A new chapter was starting in this strange life of his, and Bridgette was ready to help him write it. He had no idea what to expect, but it was okay. _This could be fun_ , he decided as he entered the now parked car, leaving this part of the chapter to a close.

 **Bridgette:** _Hey, I just want to let you know that you can ask for my opinion any time. And you can give me a bell if you want a cup of coffee._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *BREATHES* I AM ALIVE! Maybe! I don't know! This chapter took waaaayyyy too long to write. No exaggeration. I have that writing condition where I know what I want parts of the story to be but I either don't know how to write it or I don't know how to get there. And on that note, I'm going to openly ask for feedback because wow, I feel like these two "fought" more than the modern couple. And it was in the same hour too! Also, let me take this moment to apologize to everyone right now, especially to the ones who read this WHEN it was published. I have not realized how long it has been until recently. I'm so sorry I made you wait so long and I hope this made up for it. Now I know I said I'll try to be consistent with publishing chapters, but I'll try not to make it literal months before publishing chapter 3. That wouldn't be fair to you all. And finally, thank you all so much for the love on Chapter 1! I really appreciate the kudos and comments I received and it made me so happy! Wherever this story end up going, I really hope you guys like it to the end!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in a good mood right now. This chapter is going to be somewhat chatfic-y and a bit of filler because I just want these two to talk for a little bit before we move forward. I'm also gonna see if I can get this finished before Graham's potential appearance in S4 ruins everything I have written. I also heard that the UK recently closed (or some version of that, but I know that travel is being limited) and since this story takes place in the UK, I'd like to wish everyone over there healthy and happy days. I hope you all are doing okay.

The Saturday had been uneventful, at least compared to yesterday. Felix didn't go out today, though it's not as though he had a reason to. He helped his mother out yesterday and today, there were no surprise phone calls whatsoever, and there wasn't really anything exciting that happened or to make him laugh for the next hour. No, it was just another day in the life of the Graham de Vanily family. 

It was now the late evening. He has eaten dinner, taken a shower, and was now falling backwards onto his bed, not tired, but accomplished. He wasn't planning on going to sleep just yet, but most of his evening routine has been completed and he was now waiting for his mother to come in and bid him a good evening. That would be a little bit however, as his mother's evening routine is longer than his. She has been known to be extra. But there was no point in waiting around in bed if he wasn't going to sleep soon. So he got up and opened the doors to his balcony. It was small, probably couldn't fit more than three people, but that didn't bother Felix. He was usually the only one up there anyway. 

He rested his arms on the railing, leaned over, and inhaled deeply through his nose. It had gotten colder since yesterday. It wasn't terribly low, but it was a noticeable shift in temperature. The first signs of autumn have come. That's somewhat sad. Summer had felt so very short this year. It wasn't over yet, but it seems as though Mother Nature is getting tired far too quickly. 

Instead of thinking about Summer ending, he decided to listen to the sounds of the city. The sound of cars driving around, the occasional honking of the horn, someone in one car playing their music a little too loud. He bet if he tried hard enough, he could hear the people at restaurants minding their own business, getting to their conclusion of the day. The sounds of the city reminded him that the world was moving forward. He could be doing nothing all he wants, and the world will still moved forward. A simple truth he had to learn to accept. Everywhere in the world was moving forward. Everywhere in the world...

Including Paris.

That's right. Paris didn't just freeze over after Felix left. It was moving forward, like it has been for the past however many years it's been before Felix's return. Adrien was making phone calls before making out with Ladybug, Gabriel was being his half-brained stickler self, and _she_... _she's_ probably pining over a waste of time. 

_No, don't think like that_ , Felix told himself. There’s no doubt she had hobbies. She was around his age after all. He can't tell much about what she's into however. He only got a good look at her head. He didn't notice any makeup on her, and her hair was tied in pigtails. She didn't seem like one to care too much about her own appearance. Was there anything else? She cared for Adrien, but he doesn't know for sure if that makes her completely kind. She could be nice to a select few people, then be cruel to others. He can't say for sure. He'll just put that up for debate. She had a nice voice... Maybe she liked to sing? That one he definitely couldn't say for sure. But he bet she'd sound lovely if she did. The voice was already ringing in his mind, he wondered how nice it would be if she sung for everyone to hear. It's just a thought however. And for some reason, something was telling him she liked gardens. Where was that coming from?

So what he pulled together is that this girl was a somewhat kind singer who doesn't care much for her appearance and likes gardens. He was ready to throw that concept away immediately, as it could be the most inaccurate depiction of her. It's probably not a good idea for him to be making guesses on a stranger's lifestyle. Especially if that stranger was more than likely thinking negatively of him at the moment. 

She's probably not actively thinking of him like he is of her at the moment. If anything, she was on the brink of sleeping due to how late it was. France was an hour ahead after all. But there is no way she forgot about what he did. Quite a punch to the face for someone you’ve known for so long. So much that it got three people akumatized. The girl wasn’t one of them, but she could’ve been. The idea of her balling her eyes out while planning to punch Adrien was an amusing and painful thought to him. He tried to forget it. 

_Focus_. The idea of three of her possible friends getting akumatized at the same time is a terrifying thought. Granted, akumatizations are common in Paris, but this was all for the same reason. With the same akuma. After learning the source of all this trouble, there’s no way he made it on her Top Ten Favorite People list. Or he did but it’s doubtful. Maybe if he had the chance to explain...

_Explain what?!_ he asked himself. _My family hates the Agrestes so I tried to ruin my cousin’s life? That just makes you sound worse!_ He slouched his head into his arms with a heavy sigh. _Now would be a good time for coffee_ , he wished. He would get coffee, if it wasn't late evening and he already completed his evening routine. His mother strongly suggested Felix to stay away from coffee around this hour, especially if it was close to curfew. This was not only because drinking caffeine at a late hour is a death wish, but also because Felix drinks too many cups per day and his mother insisted he kept an eye on his health a little bit more. He could get a cup, but he won't. That would be disobeying his mother's wishes, and his mother is someone he respects far too much to disobey.

But coffee would be helpful. The sounds of the city were just turning into noise and the hints of autumn was just turning into cold. He couldn't think straight and didn't have anything proper to ease his mind. All this thinking was easier in the daytime. He needed to distract himself from this. But any simple distraction could only last so long. Maybe if he drugged himself to sleep, he'd forget this whole ordeal in the morning? Or if he at least spent the rest of his evening trying to find some hypnotics, he'd forget the ordeal in his quest to knock himself out. Couldn't hurt to try.

Something buzzed in his hand. Oh right. He brought his phone with him. Why did he do that again? It didn't matter. He looked at the screen to see why it did so and was only semi-surprised to see the reason. It was a text from Bridgette. She had a really good habit of interrupting his thoughts.

**Bridgette:** _Hey, r_ _u busy tmrw? z_

Felix read the message. He read the message again. He read the message again. His eyes kept reading the message over and over again and only one thing crossed his mind: _What?_

_Don’t overthink it_ , he told himself. If the sentence doesn’t make sense as a whole, you break it down. _Hey_ and _busy_ is easy enough to understand. It’s the _r_ , _u_ , _tmrw_ , and _z_ that’s confusing _._ The _r_ and _u_ don’t make sense on their own, but if said aloud, which Felix was very much doing right now, it sounds like “are you”. The sentence now read “Hey, are you busy tmrw? z”. The _tmrw_ was either an acronym or the word “tomorrow” written by someone who didn’t feel like writing an eight letter word. Assuming the _z_ was just a typing error, she was asking if he was busy tomorrow. As Felix started to write his reply, he realized that he just spent a whole minute breaking down a text message. _I’m_ _getting way too deep into my literature classes._

**Felix:** _Why? Also, why did you write it like that?_

Felix stared at his phone as the word _typing..._ appeared at the bottom of his screen. A message came shortly after.

**Bridgette:** _It’s a writing shortcut to make texting faster. z_

_Oh_. Felix heard of the shortcuts before, but he’s never seen nor used them. He wondered if he should text Bridgette that way from now on. He was about to text a reply, but another message displayed on the screen.

**Bridgette:** _Anyway, I’m supposed to get off work early tmrw, so I made some plans to hang w my friends and wanted to kno if u wanted to come. z_

**Bridgette:** _But I’m not sure if I’ll make it ;-; z_

Felix’s eyes hurt. He could assume the shortcuts could be efficient for sending messages quicker, but not for making a proper sentence. And she was still typing _z_ for some reason. Was that her sign off? He decided to just focus on the reply instead of the small things that hurt his eyes. He wouldn’t want to be rude to his first friend.

**Felix:** _How so?_

After a short minute, there was a reply.

**Bridgette:** _Today we got so many people coming n, which s great for business, but we stayed so late which is y I’m only texting u now. z_

**Bridgette:** _But since today was so unexpected, I don’t kno if I’ll stay late agn tmrw or not. The boss promised me break, but I don’t kno at this point. z_

So it was safe to say  _ z _ was her sign off. It was in almost every message she’s sent so far. His eyes still hurt, but the messages were getting easier to read. He reread the messages and realized he doesn’t know Bridgette’s occupation. Might as well ask. As he wrote a reply, he blocked out the noise of the city and the cold started to warm up a little.

**Felix:** _By the way, where do you work?_

This time, she responded sooner.

**Bridgette:** _Ziggy’s Bakery. It’s where I learned to make the crullers. z_

**Bridgette:** _There’s currently only one in existence, so u can come visit anytime. But if u do, I expect u to buy something richie. z_

Felix chuckled at the nickname. So she works at a bakery. Fitting. Someone of her talent should be putting it to use.

**Felix:** _ Fair enough. I do owe you for the coffee. _

**Bridgette:** _ -.- _

Felix blinked at the text. If  _ -.-  _ meant anything, he couldn’t tell what. There was no  _ typing… _ appearing whatsoever.  _ Am I supposed to respond?  _ Felix thought.

**Felix:** _ What? _

It was probably better to be blunt. She already knew he didn’t completely understand texting shortcuts, and she’s been patient with him for the most part. But her reply was taking longer than he expected. Was it a goodbye? Did she leave? It was an abrupt way to do so. She didn’t lose interest that quickly, did she?

_ Did she? _

**Bridgette:** _ Sorry. Some idiot almost ran me over. London traffic stinks at night. z _

_ Oh.  _ A reasonable explanation. Bridgette seemed to prefer walking, and he has seen London’s evening traffic. It was less than ideal. Why he overreacted to a long pause when it could’ve just been a small problem on her end is what he didn’t understand.

**Bridgette:** _ First off, u don’t owe me anything. I offered u that coffee. It’s a gift. Shut up about it already. z _

**Bridgette:** _ Second, it’s my job. I want to get paid. I can’t get paid if people don’t buy anything. U, Mr. Monopoly, r no exception. z _

**Felix:** _ My family doesn’t own a monopoly. _

**Bridgette:** _ I was referencing the game. z _

**Felix:** _ I’ve heard of that. I’ve never played it before. _

**Bridgette:** _ That honestly might be a good thing. z _

Felix couldn’t tell if she was joking or being serious. The problem with texting is that it’s ironically harder to read people. Her statement could mean anything depending on how it was said. He didn’t think it mattered that much however. He decided to move on from that statement. 

**Felix:** _ Are you out on your own right now? _

**Bridgette:** _ Yeah. Makes me kinda sad. z _

**Felix:** _ That you’re out on your own? _

**Bridgette:** _ No, that it’s getting bloody cold out here! ;-; z _

Felix blinked. He had noticed it getting a bit colder, but it was still relatively warm.

**Felix:** _ I see what you mean, but it’s not that cold out. _

**Bridgette:** _ Who cares if it’s “not that cold”? I wasn’t dressed for a temp shift! _

**Bridgette:** _ And y is it getting cold now?! We’ve barely touched August! z _

**Bridgette:** _ Now stupid autumn is going to start, the sun is going away, and I’m going to lose all my free time. ;-; z _

Felix felt sympathy reading her words. He knew exactly how she felt. Although he didn’t have a preferred season, the freedom summer provided made it a very nice one. There was less responsibility and more time for simply having fun and spending one’s time the way they wished. No other part of the year really provided that.

**Felix:** _ I take it you enjoy summer? _

**Bridgette:** _ I love it! It’s prob the only time the sun is out too. Do u kno how much the sun shines here? z _

**Felix:** _ About seven days a year. _

**Bridgette:** _ E X A C T L Y _

**Bridgette:** _I mean, I love London, but I love the sun even more. z_

**Bridgette:** _ I’ve heard of countries where the sun is out all the time. I’d love to be in places like that. z _

**Felix:** _ Places like those have their flaws too. _

**Bridgette:** _ Of course YOU would kno. But I don’t care. Anything to see the sun for more than 1% of the year. z _

_ I could take you if you wish _ , he thought of typing. He didn’t. Instead, his fingers hovered over his phone’s keyboard for a few moments before he slid it off his screen. He wouldn’t mind taking Bridgette on a dream vacation. His “vacations” were almost never exclusive to his family. There was some sort of “friend” that came along with them during those times. Bridgette wouldn’t be any different.  _ So why am I not telling her? _

**Bridgette:** _ School will start soon too. z _

The new text pulled Felix out his thoughts.

**Felix:** _ I suppose that’s true. _

**Bridgette:** _ Do u even go to school? As in a real one w students and classrooms? z _

**Felix:** _ Yes. _

**Bridgette:** _ Really? _

**Felix:** _ Yes. _

**Bridgette:** _ Huh. I guess I thought most rich kids were homeschooled. The movies have failed me! z _

**Felix:** _ I used to be, but my parents thought it would be a good idea to experience a more social school life. _

_ And one of them was trying to prove a point, but that doesn’t matter anyway _ , he thought to himself.

**Bridgette:** _ Oh, ok. z _

**Bridgette:** _ Where do u go? I go to Ellison Peake. z _

**Felix:** _ North Hillensberg.  _

There was a pause. Did someone try to run her over again? Or did she not know about North Hillensberg? He’s never heard of Ellison Peake, so it would make sense…

**Bridgette:** _ Mate, isn’t that one of the most expensive schools in the city? z _

Or she could just be considering that.

**Felix:** _ I believe so. _

**Bridgette:** _ Christ, how rich r u? z _

**Felix:** _ I can ask. _

**Bridgette:** _ U kno what? Don’t answer that. I’d rather not kno. _

**Felix:** _ Very well then. _

There was another short pause and Felix took that time to stop leaning against the railing and stretch his back a little bit. Then he got another message.

**Bridgette:** _ I’m almost home and I prob can’t talk after that. U want to join us tmrw or no? z _

**Felix:** _ I’m considering it. _

He was considering not going, but he wasn’t going to tell Bridgette that.

**Bridgette:** _ Well if u want to come, we’re meeting at that cafe tmrw at 14. We might go to a park afterwards. We’ll wait for u, ok? z _

Felix reentered his room as he texted his reply.

**Felix:** _ Okay. _

He wasn’t really lying to her. He didn’t agree to the rendezvous in the first place. He just didn’t feel like meeting Bridgette’s friends. If she ends up disappointed when he doesn’t show up tomorrow, then that would be her fault alone. Although, he did feel somewhat bad inadvertently turning down an invitation. After all, she’s been almost nothing but sweet to him.

He started to close the balcony door, and realization came to him as his phone buzzed once more. Bridgette distracted him. He had a short dilemma not too long ago and Bridgette made him forget all of that. Of course, there was no way for her to know that he was having a dilemma, but the distraction was something he very much needed and she gave it to him at just the right time. It was nice to know she was able to help him with his problems, even if it wasn’t direct.

**Bridgette:** _ Alright. Goodnight Felix. :) z _

**Felix:** _ Goodnight Bridgette. I enjoyed our chat.  _

He meant it. Even though they weren’t seeing each other, it was nice to talk to her. Yes, there are the rough patches, but she felt so easy to talk to. 

**Bridgette:** _ I liked it too. z _

Felix found himself smiling. Something about Bridgette felt very warm. Fitting for someone who loved summer.

_ Is this what it’s like having friends? _

Felix turned his phone off and placed it on his nightstand. His dilemma can wait for another day. It was getting late and he felt too good to worry about anything. And although he wouldn’t be seeing her tomorrow, he knows he wouldn’t mind joining her for a cup of coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Runs into nearest lake**pops head out* Hi guys. Merry Late Holidays and Happy Early New Year! So here’s something a little cute. It’s just them talking! They got to know more about each other! Yay! This chapter should not have taken as long as it did. I am so sorry. I’m laughing while writing the end notes. I’m okay. And really tired. I know why it took so long. If I’m being honest, I hated writing the middle of this chapter because I took two writing styles and I put them in the same chapter and everything hurts. I don’t think I’ll do it again. It also took so long because it was getting in the way of chapter 4, which is something I’m really excited to write. I feel like the ending was a bit rushed, but I’m happy to finally get this out. But that’s just a little chapter 3 rant, I’m going to let you all in on a little secret: I’m really bad at this fanfiction thing. I love writing, I love coming up with stories, and I especially love sharing them. I just feel like I haven’t been doing that fully, especially with Coffee Cup, considering I like writing it and my interpretation of the underdeveloped/cancelled characters. I love the support I’ve gotten on this fic so far, and I love knowing that you guys love to read what I write, so I want to be better for you all. Im going to try to spend more time on Coffee Cup when I can because I love you guys so much. I set a goal at the beginning of this chapter, saying I’m going to try to finish this before Graham appears in S4. S4 is slated for September 2021. I think I can do it. I’m going to try for you guys. Thank you all so much for your patience. I love you all. Stay healthy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm excited :)

Felix found himself standing in a garden. It seemed like an endless rainbow of a garden, stretching for miles. Like a meadow, but with more concrete. The sky was a light grey, almost white but not quite, and there wasn't a single human in sight.

At least he thought.

"Hi." 

Felix turned his head to the side and everything froze. It was _her_. She was there. Wherever they were. She had a smile that could give the sun a run for its money, her hair tied the exact way he remembered it, hands held behind her back. She was leaning forward a bit, but he could tell they were the same height. 

He realized after a short moment, they were staring at each other. “Hello.” he responded calmly.

“Welcome to the garden.” she said, before stepping forward to walk further into the garden.

“Your garden?” Felix asked, watching her walk.

She turned around to face him, cocking her head to the side. “I don’t think so…” Felix stared at her, taking in all she was wearing. A black jacket over a white t-shirt, blue jeans and grey high tops. It was an interesting combination, but it made sense if she didn’t care much for her appearance. As she turned around again, he noticed a single pink flower at the top of her shirt. He wondered if that was always there. He followed her between the now existing raised stone flowerbeds and was next to her in an instant.

“Are we going somewhere?” Felix asked.

“Yes.” was all she said.

“Where are we going?” Felix asked again.

“Somewhere.” 

“What?”

“We’re going somewhere.” She wasn’t saying anymore. Did she not know? Felix didn’t even know. He stopped asking.

They walked a bit more before he remembered something. “What’s your name?” They both stopped walking and looked at each other.

“You don’t know my name?” Silence. “That’s sad.” She pouted, then her face softened. “I don’t think I know yours.”

“It’s Felix Graham de Vanily.” She cocked her head.

“Felix Graham de Vanily. Felix. Okay. I can remember that.” She smiled and continued walking. “That’s a really nice name. Felix comes from felicis. Felicis means happy in Latin. You must be really happy.”

“I’m almost positive I was named after a fictional cat.” he remarked. He watched as she started to laugh. He couldn’t hear her laugh, but he could see her laughing. It was a bit of a light giggle she expressed. Seeing her laugh made him feel warm.

“I think the cat takes from you.” she said, looking back at him but never stopping. “Or you are the cat.”

“I guess so.” Felix started to walk again and was next to her in no time at all. There was nothing ahead of them but flowerbeds and the flowers on the ground. If he looked back, it was practically the exact same as walking forward. As if where they were didn’t matter anymore. Despite walking over them, none of the flowers seemed to be crushed or bent. They swayed and that was that. It just felt natural to look at. Everything felt natural right now. Even her being here.

Felix turned his head to his right to look at her. She paid no attention to him, only looking forward, the bright smile still on her face. He felt warm once again just looking at her. His eyes lowered to her shirt, catching the pink flower printed on her shirt. It looked very familiar. The design was not simple whatsoever. It looked as if it was still budding somewhat, with four or five layers of petals, all curling in as if they were spoons. He's seen it before; the name of it has been repeated many times. If he could just find the word…

Dahlia! She had a dahlia on her shirt. Just as he realized, she spoke up, “We’re here.” Felix looked forward to see a near replica of the meadow he found himself in, except all the flowers were dahlias of all colors one could imagine. The flowerbeds were gone. There was just stone-dahlia meadow.

“Where’s here?” Felix asked.

“Somewhere.” the girl answered. Felix watched as she spun forward and did a bit of a graceful prance around the meadow, her pigtails bouncing. He followed her in. She then started to lay down, the dahlias seemingly parting away as she did so. 

“Do you come here often?” He sat down.

“Well, I’m here now!” She reached her hand out and cupped a purple dahlia by her head. “I don’t see why I can’t come here more.” Felix felt his chest tighten a bit. The girl seemed to notice and sat up. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah…” It came out dry and unsure. They were face to face with each other. Her eyes were wide, but she stared blankly. “What am I doing here?” he thought aloud.

“Well…” The girl cocked her head and looked down. Felix did the same and saw many dark dahlias standing between them. “I don’t really know you that well. I wanted to know you more.” She cupped one of the dahlias in front of her. “Last time, we didn't get the chance.”

He knew what she meant. It’s pretty much all he could think about when it came to her. Something he deemed near impossible by now and yet they were somehow here, together, alone to be nothing but honest with each other. He looked to his side. There were many different colors, but what stood out was a single blue dahlia just within his reach. He leaned a little and lightly grabbed the stem. “I’d like to apologize–”

“Oh no, you can pick the flowers. They grow back easily.” he heard her say. 

“Thank you, but that’s not what I was referring to.” While that was a concern of his, it wasn’t his main reason for the apology. He plucked the flower. For being planted in a ground of stone, it came out easily. “I haven’t been a true gentleman when I last came to your country. A terrible impression on my part.”

“I’m sure you had your reasons.” Felix shifted back to his original position. She was still cupping the flower, but was looking up now, wearing her unforgettable smile.

“I do not wish for it all to stay the way it ended. I’d rather....” He stopped himself. He didn’t know what he’d rather. He just wanted something different. “Are you willing to try a new with me?”

He offered the dahlia. It felt as if time was standing still. Her smile had faded and she was staring at the flower in his hand. His chest tightened again. This was getting long and uncomfortable. His thoughts were mixing. It was then he remembered she never shared her name. It wasn’t important. Right now was important.

She looked up at him and smiled once again. She was silent for what felt like longer than forever, and then she stopped cupping the dahlia and reached for the one in Felix’s hand. “My name is–”

Just as she was about to answer, her hand touched his, and it was all gone. Felix had woken up.

It took him a second to realize what happened. He wasn’t sitting in a strange garden with the girl that plagued his mind. He was in his bed, in London. It was all a dream. He shifted to see what time it was. 2:37. He let out a sigh and shifted on his back. _What the heck was that?_

Why was he dreaming of a girl he hasn’t even met yet at this hour? What was with the garden? Why was he reacting so weirdly? Why were there so many dahlias? His mind was racing and he couldn’t pace his thinking. _Now is not the time for coffee_ , he reminded himself.

He replayed the dream in his head. What the girl knew made sense. She had the same knowledge he had. His mother taught him how to identify a dahlia. It was one of her favorite flowers. That has to be why it was in the dream… he thinks. As for the meaning of his name… he learned that from Emilie. 

Why a conversation he had with his missing aunt many years ago was resurfacing in his dream, he didn’t know. He’d rather not know. He didn’t want to think about her. What he could now label “the girl of his dream” was all he wanted to think about. Yet his train of thought did not agree. It just went on a new track when he tried to stay on one.

 _This isn’t working._ He needed something to stabilize it all; because right now, the conductor had a map that looked like morse code. But it still wasn’t the time for coffee. Even if he thought otherwise, his mother would have none of it. _That’s it._ he told himself. He was going to try to sleep and make it a problem for five hours from now. It won’t be easy, but he can still try. Sleep now, and the minute he wakes up, he’s getting a cup of coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Grins madly at the kind-of-not-really plot twist* Hi. This was short, but I think it's good. I think I cheated a bit, but I do plan to have these two meet in real life. Eventually. Maybe. Just need to but that Marinette/Graham tag to use if you know what I mean lol. The season 4 pilot trailer dropped and all I'm thinking is "oof". Graham isn't going to appear that soon (at least I think), but I'm ready for him. Also, unrelated, but I remembered The Sound of Music and I finished writing this chapter listening to the soundtrack. But that's not important right now. This chapter makes me giddy. A lot of this story makes me giddy. Thank you all for the love. It makes me so happy knowing you all enjoy my words. And thank you all so much for your patience, even if this break was shorter than the last two. I'm not going to reveal a lot about the future of this story, but I'm just gonna say Slice of Life x Character Development. And then it gets rammed. That's it! Stay safe everyone.

**Author's Note:**

> Y’all don’t mind me calling GDV Graham Cracker do you? Graham for short? I mean, he’s not called that in the story, but I only have room for one Felix, and he is not it. Anyway, I ended up writing the first half of this chapter without sleeping. I guess I like Graham more than I thought. That or I love the PV. That could be it too. Or I really like this ship. Yeah, I think that’s it. I don’t know how consistent I’ll be with my updates—because I struggle with that a lot—but I will try to be consistent.


End file.
